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Love old Studebaker coupes? Restoring them will soon get just a bit easier thanks to reproduction quarter panels by Goodmark Industries. Photo by Studebaker

Studebaker's mid-'50s coupes -- including the gorgeous Commander Starliner -- were tantalizing but frustrating. Early cars used flimsy steel for the frame, resulting in undesirable flexibility. Fit and finish were poor and spotty build quality disappointed (and alienated) would-be buyers.

But damn it, they looked great, especially considering the limited resources the automaker had at its disposal. Raymond Loewy's '53 Studebaker Commander Starliner design still stands on its own merits today, and all the coupes of the era have a dedicated following.

Enter Georgia's Goodmark Industries, which says its new rear quarter panels for 1953-1962 Studebaker coupes should be ready by June.

Studebaker model naming conventions can get a bit confusing, but that range encompasses the C-K body Commander, Champion, Hawk, Flight Hawk, Golden Hawk, Power Hawk and Sky Hawk, according to Goodmark.

Goodmark currently produces repro panels for Fords, Dodges, Mercurys, Buicks and more, but the addition of Studebaker means their lineup will now include one independent (unless you count Jeep, that is). Whether they produce more Stude parts remains to be seen, but the company reports that demand for replacements is strong.

Here's hoping for future roadways full of old cars built with brand-new sheetmetal. Spotting a Starliner coupe or two on the way in to work would certainly make our commute a bit brighter.

Graham Kozak
- Graham Kozak drove a 1951 Packard 200 sedan in high school because he wanted something that would be easy to find in a parking lot. He thinks all the things they're doing with fuel injection and seatbelts these days are pretty nifty too.
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